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Report: Everton eyeing Landon Donovan loan

Landon Donovan 4 (ISIphotos.com)
 

Landon Donovan figures to be headed somewhere on loan this winter, and a new destination has emerged as a possibility.

English club Everton, home of U.S. national team goalkeeper Tim Howard, has its sights on landing Landon Donovan on loan, The Guardian reported on Tuesday.

Everton has been home to several Americans in the past, including Brian McBride and Joe-Max Moore, and the Toffees need for some attacking punch is limited by the club's lack of transfer funds, which would make a Donovan loan even more attractive.

What is the SBI take? Everton would be a perfect short-term destination for Donovan.

The Toffees need the attacking help and Donovan would have a number of high-quality matches to play in during his loan spell, whether it extends into March or all the way to the summer. With Everton competing in the Europa League, FA Cup and playing a brutal schedule from January to March (including games vs. Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham all before March), Donovan would have his fill of high-level matches against top-flight competition (not to mention getting the chance to face some of the same England players he will face in the World Cup).

With Yakubu set to play in the African Cup of Nations, Jo struggling to score, and Louis Saha a notorious injury risk, Donovan could certainly get minutes in what will be a congested fixture schedule. Nevermind the fact that Donovan can contribute at multiple positions.

Donovan can spend less than three months with Everton, play in a handful of high-level matches, and return to the Galaxy having gained some valuable experience and potentially increased his value. A successful stint with Everton would certainly ease concerns foreign clubs might have about buying him this summer given his past stints in Europe.

What do you think of Donovan joining Everton on loan? Like the idea of Donovan playing in the EPL, or were you hoping he would head to Spain instead? Does that list of opponents Donovan could face make you even more excited about this possible move?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. It’s a great move for Donovan, but the timing of it sucks. Blame MLS for not being on a similar football calendar as the rest of the world, but this guy is coming off a full MLS and WC qualifying schedule. Take a proper offseason to get ready for South Africa. For once, the U.S. gets a favorable draw; Donovan is our best player. Our best should be ready to go and at 100%.

    Not sure I’m buying the match fitness part of this. Remember, the MLS season doesn’t follow Europe’s match schedule, and with WC qualifying, he’s gotta be dogged. I think it’s a bad move.

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  2. The many people who are saying that the EPL is a bad fit because it is too physical and slow are mistaken. Its quite a good fit actually.

    MLS is easily as physical as the EPL. The games Donovan has played against Mexico and Chivas USA are far more physical and dangerous than anything he’ll see in the Premier League with Everton, even the Merseyside derby. He can handle it.

    The Premier League is statistically the quickest league in Europe, both in time between passes and average player speed. Donovan can pass the ball under pressure and can probably outpace most of the wingbacks, so speed of play won’t be a problem.

    Getting first hand experience with the English style he’ll encounter this summer is the best possible use of his time during the next three months, both for himself and for the Yanks. If I were in Moyes’ shoes and had to get a good temporary replacement to cover for the absent Africans and long term injuries, there’s no forward who represents better value for the money than Donovan. Its a perfect match really.

    Cheers,
    CrazyMike

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  3. josh, “If you rank the top 50 players in the world on talent alone, Donovan wouldn’t be on that list.”

    And none of Everton’s current players are on that list, silly argument.

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  4. People need to relax a little. I’m not against Donovan, but people are going a little over board with everything. Landon can play at Everton, but to say that he’s better than the players they already have, is a little rediculous. Landon is no Zidane. If you rank the top 50 players in the world on talent alone, Donovan wouldn’t be on that list. He’s a good player but he’s no genius. And those who think he’s better than Pienaar need to wake up. You don’t play regularly for Ajax and Dortmund because you’re rubbish. Landon can play in the Premier League, but he’s not some special player who’s unique in what he does. He wouldn’t even walk onto the field at Arsenal, but he can definitely help Everton, because they need help. He’s not going to be a star in England like he is in the US, because the players around him, will actually know what the hell they’re doing. I think Landon at Everton will be nothing other than a squad player who plays his role. Now if he were to go to a squad like Stoke or Hull he might be on the cover of the match day program…He certainly should not go to La Liga, unless it’s to the bottom club, cause those players are way ahead as far as the playing style. They don’t play that kick the ball and let Landon chase it game.

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  5. There were a couple of guys who played a lot of games for Fulham who weren’t fast, I think they were named Carlos McBride and Brian Bocanegra or something like that. Pretty obscure, I know.

    Beasley and Johnson not doing so well had very little to do with speed other than the fact that speed was the most remarkable thing about them. Do you think for one minute those other guys wouldn’t have done better if they had EJ’s burst? Donovan has more than speed going for him but it doesn’t hurt that he is fast.

    I’m not sure why everyone thinks Donovan needs toughening up. He has faced plenty of dirty, brutal, physical teams in his time. The main toughening up that will occur is mental; in the EPL every minute counts so EPL regulars, like Dempsey, learn about mental toughess.

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  6. You are forgetting that Arnoux and Peterlin are on the squad as well, though they are not first teamers.

    (SBI-If they’re not on the first-team squad, why would I mention them?)

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  7. Well, if he goes there he should be playing pretty soon. The EPL has no winter break and the MLS doesn’t start until around the end of March. So that is about 3 months when he could be on a beach somewhere, instead of freezing his butt off in Liverpool. If it doesn’t work out, he will have the start of the Galaxy season to get tuned up.

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  8. Thank you Gabe, listing Everton’s players and then saying they are all better than Donovan, is nonsense. The only thing one can measure, the records, of those players cited are not great by any means. Thanks again Gabe.

    I don’t like the Everton move because they are brutally short at the back. So poor defense and relegation will dominate the club’s ideas the second half.

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  9. The thing is I don’t see that he’d actually play with LA were he to just stay with them until the World Cup….he might play a few matches in April and then it would be off to the National Team.

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  10. or they just want him so they can bench him and put him out of form come world cup time. I’ve been so paranoid about our English guys seeing fewer and fewer minutes. But at the same time the English are full of themselves and honestly probably don’t see any of our players as threats.

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  11. I like this idea. Donovan has the pace to play the Premiership, and giving him a bit more of a physical runout is nothing but a bad thing for his physical and mental toughness. Also, if Arteta comes back healthy (which the law of averages says has to happen eventually) I think he and Landon along with Cahill and Saha could make for a really dangerous attacking combination. And having Timmy around can’t hurt either. Do it Landon!

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